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Vol. 27, No. 44
from The Press
November 2, 2025
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October 31, 2025
‘It is not a coincidence, it is a bias’ Brentwood council pushes back against racial language over new city manager By Jake Menez Staff Writer
During their Oct. 28 meeting, the Brentwood City Council voted 5-0 to appoint G. Harold Duffey as the new city manager, but not before taking time to condemn the way in which some residents spoke about him in the weeks leading up to the vote. “Since this whole thing went down, I’ve been threatened with recall three times,” Mayor Susannah Meyer said ahead of the vote. “One of them is from a gentleman in Brentwood that has called and left increasingly aggressive and angry messages saying he will do everything in his power to recall
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Members of the Brentwood City Council took time during their Oct. 28 meeting to condemn rhetoric used by residents online when discussing the hiring of the new city manager. me. That’s your right to say that, but I’m not going to call you back. I don’t make enough to sit and listen to being abused like that and harassed like that and yelled at and screamed at because you’re angry and because you have a bias against Oakland.” Social media posts leading up to Duffey’s official appointment were met with
comments from residents who expressed concern that Duffey comes to the role after departing from his job as assistant city administrator in Oakland. Some commenters referred to Oakland as a “failed city” and said they did not want Brentwood to emulate it while also referring to Duffey as a “crook” and a “DEI hire,” among other insults.
“I’m really, frankly, disheartened by it,” Meyer said of the response to Duffey’s potential appointment. “By the responses that I’m seeing, by the accusations that I’m seeing and the aggression and the anger. It’s not the city that I love.” Meyer was not the only member of council to express dissatisfaction with the way in which residents conducted themselves on the matter. “No one will ever know how much time was spent in this process,” Vice Mayor Pa’tanisha Pierson said. “No one has ever complained about the process when we’re hiring a city attorney or any other [roles] until now.” Pierson went on to explain that as a Black woman from Oakland, she knows firsthand what it feels like to be scrutinized “more harshly” than others while also saying she has recognized what she calls a patsee Racial page 19
Where do your County elections chief says there’s no threat of voter fraud transportation sales Special election on Proposition 50 on Tuesday By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer
CONNELLY publicly tested, which leaves little room for large‑scale manipulation. “We take it very, very seriously,” she said. “I take this very seriously. It’s not okay to disparage elected officials because we follow the Constitution faithfully and we’re just doing our jobs. … A lot
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tax dollars go? By Sean Tongson Correspondent
Transportation sales tax dollars have funded a number of local projects that have helped shape East County and the surrounding region in the midst of its rapid growth in recent years. Thanks to local sales tax measures like Measure J, a countywide half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation through 2034, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) has built regional projects that have shortened commutes, widened highways, and enhanced the county with more projects planned for the future. “Contra Costa families deserve safer streets and faster, more
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see Voter Fraud page 19
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For Contra Costa County Clerk‑Recorder and Registrar of Voters Kristin Connelly, there’s one truth that remains clear to her: “There is no massive voter fraud.” As Connelly’s office prepares for Tuesday’s special election on Proposition 50, followed by next year’s midterm elections, she says her office’s daily practice ensures that every ballot is specific to the voter, every signature hand‑checked, every tabulating machine not connected to the internet, and that all equipment is
of the people freaking out are not listening to the actual data.” “You can make yourself crazy by coming up with a fact pattern about various things that can happen. We’re human, and I don’t want to say that mistakes don’t happen. You can look at various sources on looking at the 2020 and 2024 election cycles, and the fact that there was no voter fraud. Those were both the most safe and secure elections in our country’s history, and I hope we stay on that path.” Public skepticism toward election security is at an all-time high, according to national media reports. Registered voters, let alone people in general, are afraid, if they do not already believe, that
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reliable trips, especially commuters from East County who face some of the longest drives in the Bay Area,” said CCTA Executive Director Tim Haile. “With every local half-cent we invest, we typically leverage three more dollars from the state and federal government.” Haile, CCTA Commissioner and District 4 Supervisor Ken Carlson, and CCTA Commissioner and District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis hosted a ‘lunch and learn’ webinar on Oct. 16 detailing how local sales tax dollars have been used to create safer streets, improve commutes, and strengthen the economy. Year-of-expenditure costs see Tax Dollars page 19
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Lions boys water polo aims for BVAL repeat
Oakley amends city manager’s contract
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